Writing Opportunities
All JD students take part in a three-year writing program that includes a two-semester research and writing course in the first year, an advanced writing course, and an advanced research and writing course during the second or third year.
The required first year Legal Research and Writing course is designed around a progression of assignments that systematically introduce writing and related skills. The course is taught collaboratively by the legal writing faculty and law librarians. Typical assignments include writing office memoranda, client letters, motion memoranda, or appellate briefs.
In the second or third year, students must complete a doctrinal writing course. Classes that fulfill the advanced writing requirement are limited to an enrollment of 20, and require a series of written assignments—usually three to six—that vary from traditional legal memoranda to essays and journals. Student performance is generally evaluated on the basis of this written work only, rather than through a traditional examination.
Also in the second or third year, students must complete an advanced research paper. We strongly encourage students to satisfy this requirement through enrollment in a seminar, rather than through an independent writing project. Seminars that satisfy the advanced research and writing requirement typically require a substantial research-and-writing project on a problem defined by the student.
In addition to the opportunities in writing courses, students can participate in a law journal or moot court. Nearly half our students gain additional experience in scholarly writing, research, and editing by participating in one of our three law journals. Between one half and three fourths of students gain additional brief-writing experience through internal moot court programs or external moot court competitions.